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Update: Polling place concerns in and around York County

Daily Record/Sunday News

Updated:
11/06/2012 09:21:49 PM EST

York, PA -

Problems were reported Tuesday at polling places in and around York County, as well as across the country.

The Associated Press reported that there was a confrontation involving Republican inspectors over access to some polls and a last-minute court fight in Ohio over election software. One Florida elections office mistakenly told voters in robocalls the election was on Wednesday.

A voting machine at the church had to be recalibrated after the touch screen options and the sensors didn't quite match up.

"We were having issues with it not responding," said Joe Compton, judge of elections for the York Township polling place. "Voters kept hitting the 'next' button and nothing happened."

The options on the screen and their corresponding sensors were "off by a quarter of an inch," he said. For example, he added, "if you hit the high side of the center circle" when picking a candidate, "it wouldn't register."

This flier was put on doors in York city. Some people were directed to the wrong polling place. Others were not. (Daily Record/Sunday News -- Lauren Boyer )

After about 40 voters used the machine, it was shut down and recalibrated early Tuesday morning. Compton was unaware of any misvotes as a result of the machine's complications.

--- Nikki Suchanic, York County director of elections and voter registration, said her office has not received complaints from anyone about voting for the wrong candidate Tuesday afternoon.

Any complaints must be registered with the state Department of State here.

Those complaints are then forwarded to each county's district attorney for review.

--- A Democratic party flier telling Yorkers to cast their ballot at the downtown YMCA sent many voters from other precincts in the wrong direction Tuesday morning.

"I don't know where these fliers are coming from," said Ukwanna Nesbit, elections judge for the YMCA polling place. "They're coming from all over York. I don't know why."

The light blue door hanger features pictures of President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and U.S. Senator Bob Casey.

The bottom of the flier reads: "A communication of Organizing for America Pennsylvania, a project of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, which paid for the communication."

People came from as far as Jackson Street near York College, thinking they voted at the YMCA, Nesbit said.

Nesbit directed the confused voters to their proper polling place. Some were supposed to vote at the Princess Street Center. For others, it was a church on Jefferson Street.

Polling Attorney Ron Perry reported the flier to the Democratic Party of York County, which contacted Organizing for America.

Chad Baker, director of communications for the Democratic Party of York County, said the mistake boils down to a group of volunteers picking up the wrong stack of fliers.

"They got all these fliers printed with the precincts listed on them. They all get shipped at once," he said. "On their way out the door, they grabbed the wrong stack."

Baker said the party is attempting to rectify the situation "as quickly as possible" so "voters know where they need to vote and they have that opportunity."

"It was an oversight," Baker said. "It could have happened to anyone on either side of the aisle. You get overzealous the night of the election, energy is flowing and you happen to grab the wrong stack of fliers."

Robocalls, he said, will be made to voters in the affected areas to ensure they know their proper polling place.